Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 194 Are you up to it?

The snow began to melt the following day.

Shen Qingzhou didn't go out all day. In the afternoon, he finished packing the bundle Guo Yi had given him. Seeing that it was getting dark, he sent Mingqi, the servant in charge of the room in Bibo Pavilion, to say: "Bring out my mask and that smoky brown cloak embroidered with silver auspicious cloud patterns."

Mingqi glanced at him and obediently went to get the mask and cloak.

When He Qu walked in, he saw Shen Qingzhou, who was already wearing a cloak and putting on a mask, and asked curiously, "Didn't you have an appointment with Miss Lu tonight? Are you going out on business again?"

Shen Qingzhou looked at herself in the mirror, pinched her still somewhat thin waist, took off her mask and clothes: "Pack it up, take it with you after dark and come with me."

He Qu looked at the shiny clothes in his hands: ...

On the night of the murder in her previous life, Shen Qingzhou wasn't actually wearing this garment; after all, that happened five or six years later.

But in the dark, you might not be able to tell much difference; being roughly similar is enough.

As soon as it got dark, the streets and alleys of the capital fell silent.

Lu Jia prepared several dishes early in the morning for the Liang family's sake, and brought them to Lu Jie's study to serve him the meal. She also took the opportunity to say that Xie Yi had broken his leg and she had to go see him, so she would be staying at Yanzi Hutong tonight.

Lu Jie also had things to do tonight and was eager for her to stay away, so he agreed without hesitation. As soon as the people in the front yard said she had left, he called Yang Bonong over: "Any progress?"

Yang Bonong handed over a stack of papers: "The names and ages of all the unmarried sons of officials of the fifth rank or above in the city are written here."

Looking at the papers, there were quite a few people. Lu Jie glanced at them and asked, "How many are above the third rank? Which families are they from?"

Yang Bonong then gave his name.

"These families are all related to the Yan family, but apart from these, we don't have many other options."

"In this marriage arrangement, if the woman says it's shameful, then the man's family has to take the initiative to come to her home."

"And the only ones who will come to us on their own initiative are those they mentioned."

At this point, he gave Lu Jie a meaningful look.

Lu Jie received this gaze, and a hint of gloom appeared in his eyes.

After standing with his hands behind his back for a while, he said, "I am, after all, a high-ranking official of the first rank. Can't I find a reliable man to be my son-in-law? If all else fails, you can find a virtuous scholar from a poor family, and I will mentor him!"

Yang Bonong thought for a moment: "Since you say so, why not consider the Cheng family?"

"As far as I know, the eldest son of the Cheng family has not yet been engaged. Since the Cheng family intends to protect the eldest daughter, this is a win-win situation."

Lu Jie was slightly moved upon hearing this. After a moment, he said slowly, "I'm just afraid that stubborn mule like his father won't agree."

Yang Bonong smiled and said, "It is indeed difficult. But what could possibly be so difficult for you, sir?"

Lu Jie stopped speaking.

……

Lu Jia had dinner in Yanzi Hutong.

After dinner, Shen Qingzhou sat down and chatted with Li Yi and Xie Yi for a while, and before they knew it, it was getting dark. A little while later, He Qu and Tang Yu arrived first. The two greeted the guards who remained at the Xie family's residence, and then the carriage drove in, and Shen Qingzhou got out of bed.

Lu Jia stepped forward and saw that he was dressed in brocade robes, wrapped up tightly, and was holding a stove in his hands. She asked him, "Are you alright? It's too cold. If you can't handle it, don't force yourself. You can go another day."

Ever since she learned that Qin Zhou was actually Young Master Shen, his attire had changed. Or rather, he had finally started wearing clothes that looked appropriate to others.

Last time he was wearing official robes, so it wasn't so obvious. Today, although he's dressed more conservatively than others, his meticulous attention to detail from head to toe truly makes him look like a noble young master.

She vaguely recognized this person dressed so elegantly.

"Don't underestimate me." Shen Qingzhou coughed twice, then handed the stove to He Qu and called to her, "Get in the car, let's go."

Lu Jia asked after getting into the car, "Where to?"

"The alley where the Jiang family lived."

"..."

Wei's husband was the youngest in the family, and his assigned residence was located to the west of the Jiang residence. The side gate that Lu Jia discovered in the alley last time was the west side gate of Wei's residence.

As they arrived at the alley, Shen Qingzhou asked He Qu to park the carriage a little further away, and then he and Lu Jia walked in.

The daytime vendors had long since gone home, and the alley was quiet except for the sound of the wind. The night wind was icy cold, and Lu Jia rubbed her hands together and asked, "Can we catch them like this?"

Shouldn't you catch someone cheating quietly?

"Cannot be caught."

Shen Qingzhou walked forward with his head down. When he finished speaking, he had already stopped in front of a small courtyard, about ten feet away from the Jiang family.

“But it doesn’t matter if we go there, because Wei isn’t there tonight, and I haven’t found the adulterer yet. But you’re familiar with the Yan family, so you might find something if you go in.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jia felt a lightness in her body and was carried over the wall without any explanation.

This wasn't the first time they'd done something like this. Lu Jia had already witnessed his skills when she secretly went to the Zhang family to watch the commotion last time, but whether it was her imagination or not, this time his skills seemed even more refined than before.

"This courtyard has three sections and was purchased about five or six years ago. The owner is the Wei family. I came here last night. It's obvious that people live here regularly, but none of the valuable calligraphy, paintings, and antiques you saw in the Wei family's house are there."

As Shen Qingzhou spoke, he skillfully led Lu Jia along the wall and inside.

Lu Jia replied, "Of course, since it's a valuable item, I would naturally keep it with me. But how did you find this place?"

Shen Qingzhou stopped at the corner of the second gate: "When He Qu and the others were watching this place, they discovered that two carts of silver charcoal were being transported into this house."

"Not long after, two more old women from the Jiang family came here through the alley."

"I'm not sure what this house is used for, but it's never a bad thing to come and see it."

"Silver thread charcoal?"

Although Wei had someone to rely on and her family was well-off, how could she afford to burn so much silver charcoal every time?
Besides, she's the only one in the three households, so why would she have two cartloads of charcoal to deliver to this small house across the alley?
Of course there's something fishy going on!
However, since Wei's residence already had a separate door leading to the outside world, and the three branches of the family had long since separated their doors, there was no possibility of the eldest or second branch suddenly barging in and breaking in. It would have been easy for the adulterer to move around in secret. Why would she need to set up another house for her affair?
As Lu Jia pondered this, Shen Qingzhou grabbed her waist again and skillfully led her over the wall.